A comprehensive reference system for global assessment
Supported by the Collectif pour l'Intégration de la Responsabilité Sociétale dans l'Enseignement Supérieur, the label Développement Durable & Responsabilité Sociétale (DD&RS) aims to recognize, promote and support higher education establishments committed to ecological and social transitions.
His reference framework is built around five major axes:
- Governance and strategy
- Education and training
- Research and innovation
- Environmental management
- Social policy
These five dimensions cover all the missions and operations of an establishment, whether in terms of training, research, resource management or social and territorial involvement.
National recognition
The audit process is based on a common national reference framework, drawn up with the support of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, the Conférence des Grandes Écoles (CGE), the Conférence des Présidents d'Université (CPU) and the Réseau des Grandes Écoles de la Transition (REUTS). The label is awarded for a period of two or four years, renewable following a new audit. It is based on a continuous improvement approach and encourages the sharing of best practices between establishments.
Discover the DD&RS LabelConcrete, structured commitments at Centrale Lyon
Getting the DD&RS label rewards Centrale Lyon's commitment to sustainable development integrated at all levels of its operations.
The labeling committee highlights in its decision "the multiplicity of actions implemented by Centrale Lyon's teams" as well as "the strong commitment of its teacher-researchers".
In particular, the establishment stands out for the SD&RS coding of its teaching, guaranteeing the transversal integration of environmental, social and economic issues in the training of all students. This codification is based on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), indicating for each training action the degree to which these topics are taken into account
Research side, the teacher-researchers at Centrale Lyon are strongly mobilized around major transition issues, the school being particularly involved in nine Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined by the UN. A research team more specifically explores the innovative concept of regenerative engineering, which aims to characterize and measure the trajectory of organizations towards positive-impact practices.
A community committed to transition
This commitment is also underpinned by a large number of actions carried out jointly by staff and students, illustrating a collective and lasting mobilization. Throughout the year, the school organizes numerous times of exchange such as DD&RS breakfasts or ethical cafés and offers prevention actionsas part of the CPas1Option and Peer Care schemes, aimed at combating sexist and sexual violence and preventing risky behavior. At the same time, several initiatives are helping to improve the quality of life on campus through renovation and development work, optimized management of flows (energy, waste, mobility), as well as the creation of convivial, sustainable spaces and projects such as a grain library and a shared garden, fostering social ties and community ownership of ecological issues.
Centrale Lyon works closely with other higher education establishments, notably through the creation of the Diplôme Inter-Établissements "Grandes transitions, mesurer et comprendre pour agir", developed in partnership with the Collège des Hautes Études Lyon Sciences. She also participates in a pedagogical seminar dedicated to the integration of sustainable development issues into the Centralien skills repository, in collaboration with the Groupe des Écoles Centrale, and organizes the Journée de l'ingénierie "Réutiliser, Réinventer, Régénérer" alongside the Collège d'ingénierie Lyon-Saint-Étienne. Centrale Lyon is also involved in a number of public and private initiatives, including joining Agora Lyon 2030 and the Convention des Entreprises pour le Climat, affirming its role as a committed player at the heart of the region.
This approach fully embodies the school's vision: to train and support engineers capable of imagining, designing and implementing solutions that regenerate, rather than simply limiting their impacts.
A dynamic of continuous improvement
Training to strengthen everyone's commitment
To build on this momentum and get the whole community involved, a two-day training course will be taken by all support staff between now and the end of July. It will address the scientific and societal findings related to global warming and planetary limits, while identifying concrete solutions and actions to be implemented on the two campuses of École Centrale de Lyon through the Schéma directeur DD&RSE adopted in July 2024.
This initiative aims to strengthen the shared culture around sustainable development, to foster familiarity with the tools and levers for action, and to consolidate collective commitment to responsible transition.
Strengthening SD&RS strategy with new tools
Centrale Lyon's commitment is supported by the establishment's management and is reflected in a strengthening of strategic steering and monitoring of actions taken. The establishment is currently deploying the Pytheos collaborative action plan steering tool to strengthen the structuring of its DD&RS steering, by defining key indicators to track progress and assess the real impact of the initiatives undertaken.
Also, Centrale Lyon is working on the development of its green budget, which is based on its own methodology, in line with the SDGs. The green budget should become a genuine decision-making tool for departments and the establishment and provide a reading grid on the impact of each expense.
These new directions reinforce an already solid approach and testify to the establishment's voluntary commitment to include its SD&RS policy in a global, transparent and evolving steering system, serving a sustainable transformation of its practices, training and governance.